The Twelve Doctors
by Extremophile
Summary: The world is once again at risk when the Eleventh Doctor finds the Meta-Crisis Doctor and Rose Tyler have returned. Along with Jack Harkness, the team pulls together to help bring all of The Doctor's past selves together to face down a threat from the Doctor's past that is his future. Romance is between TenII and Rose.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I've reposted this with a few edits because I had some time-confusion (thanks SpaceTimeConundrum) and honestly, I didn't intend on posting this last night (it was a drunken impulse urged on by my lab mates). I have MOST of this story written, but had wanted to wait to start posting until it was complete. I do have a beginning and an end and most of the bits in between, but I want to watch more classic episodes so I can do the older Doctors some justice. Also…I'm behind on the 11th Doctor episodes, so let me know if I'm really missing the target with the Eleventh Doctor. I don't typically write fan fic, and this particular fic was born of bouts of intense procrastination (I'm supposed to be analyzing data for my research thesis), so I'd really appreciate reviews on how it's coming along.**

The Doctor was pacing, impatiently waiting for Rose to awaken. He had kept himself busy for the last few hours, but he was used to her being awake by this time, and so tired of pacing the coral-walled room, he decided to get ready for the day, changing from his pajama pants into his brown pinstripe trousers, lacing up his trainers, and fixing his hair. When he could stand it no more and was about to "accidentally" wake her, he saw her stirring and laid down on his side on the bed, head propped up on his arm.

Rose Tyler opened her eyes to a silly grin on a face inches from hers. "Good morning!" he greeted.

As much as she _wanted_ to be annoyed at such cheerfulness this early, Rose couldn't help the grin that came across her face. "Mornin'."

"Rise and shine! Show a leg! Up and at 'em!" The Doctor stood up and pulled the covers back from her. "Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey! I smell adventure in the air!"

"Can we smell some coffee, too?" Rose asked, and tried to grab the blankets back, but he pulled them out of reach. In just a pair of thin cotton pajama bottoms and a vest, she was freezing. "Oi! Give those back, its cold!"

"If you're cold, get dressed," he reasoned. He was still just in his brown trousers, white trainers, and a white t-shirt, and had walked over to the small wardrobe to retrieve a shirt and his suit jacket.

Rose rolled her eyes then groaned as she sat up and got out of bed. "Won't let me sleep in," she muttered. "Even after keeping me up all night."

"Didn't hear you complaining last night," he boasted with the cockiest grin he could muster, halfway into a blue oxford shirt. "In fact, the things I heard from you were _certainly_ not complaints."

"Oh, you are so full of yourself," she said with a smile, stretching before heading into the en-suite as he finished dressing. A few seconds later, she poked her head out, toothbrush in her mouth. "I don't know what you're so chipper for," she said, mouth full of foam. "My mum is expecting us today, remember?"

The Doctor paused buttoning his cuffs. "That today?" he asked innocently. He had buttoned up his shirt front, leaving the top few undone, and shirt still untucked, shrugged into his jacket. "Well, time machine. Let's just do it tomorrow!" He jumped back onto the bed and landed in a reclined position as Rose came out to gather clothes for the day.

"Shoes off the bed," she said, swatting his feet as she walked by, and with a groan he stood up and began to make the bed. Rose set her things down and walked to the other side to help. "I miss her. And Tony and Dad. We haven't seen them in months."

The Doctor sighed. "Another visit on a _Sunday _with the in-laws," he said distastefully. "Why I agreed to doing that, I'll never know. I suppose adventure can wait 'til tomorrow."

She walked back over and kissed him. "You agreed because you love me. And thank you. I'm going to have a quick shower."

He smiled, looking at the pillow in his hands before laying it on the bed. "When did my life become so _human_?"

Rose grabbed his right hand and kissed it. "About four years ago, when you grew out of this hand for me," she said sweetly, and he made a happy noise in his throat. "And we live in a time machine. That's not _so_ human." She added, kissing him once more and walking towards the bathroom.

He grinned and watched her walk away. "I'll put on the coffee and toast," he called out, as the door closed.

* * *

The Doctor put on a bowtie, as if it were any other day. He walked into his console room, as if it were any other day. He set coordinates, as if it were any other day. He sat back in the jump seat, as if it were any other day. He observed the large blue police box sitting in his console room, as if it were…wait a minute.

"Well that's new."

* * *

Rose entered the console room as the Doctor was putting on a brown and blue striped tie. She walked up to him, reaching up and folding his collar down neatly. "And you're even wearing the tie my mum bought for you, you charmer," she said, impressed. He beamed and winked as he refastened his jacket buttons.

"Alright then, Rose Tyler!" he said as he began moving knobs and dials on the console. "The Tyler residence, London, England, Earth. The fourteenth of August, twenty-sixteen. A _Sunday_," he said, drawing out the word, but giving her a teasing look. "Your mum's not cooking this time, is she?" he asked as he turned a dial and flicked a switch.

Rose leaned on the console next to him, deliberately positioning herself in front of the lever she knew he would have to pull last, and shrugged. "I don't know, maybe. You wanted an adventure," she teased.

He wrinkled his nose, but it quickly shifted into a flirty look as he moved to press himself into her, more firmly than necessary, in his reach for the controls he needed. He knew exactly what she was doing; it was a game they played often. "Not of the gastric variety. Now, here we go. _Allons-y_!" With a grin, he pulled the lever, and the ship gave a shudder.

And then such a hard jolt, the Doctor had to grab onto Rose's hips to keep them both upright. And then another shudder and jolt. And then, as the Doctor looked on with a furrowed brow, a few sparks shot out from the console. He jumped back, pulling Rose with him, and the blue-green light from the vortex column began to dim and then glow brighter than it normally did, before dimming again. It returned to its normal brightness just as the ship gave a great lurch, tossing both the Doctor and Rose to the floor. He gave an "oof" as she landed on top of him.

"You alright?" the Doctor asked as they helped each other to their feet.

"Yeah, you?"

"Fine," he replied distractedly, already moving over to the monitor.

"That was unusual. Is she alright?"

The Doctor slid his glasses on as he studied the screen. "Everything seems fine. Energy levels drained a bit. That's odd. But…I think she's okay." He changed the information that showed on the monitor and furrowed his brow again. "Hold on. There's an energy reading coming from outside the TARDIS. One that shouldn't be in your parents back garden." He looked up towards the doors. "Stay here," he said, walking towards the ramp and pocketing his specs again.

"Like hell," Rose said, following him, and he didn't try to stop her. For obvious reasons, her one fear was becoming separated from him again, and while they still ran headfirst into adventure, she generally stuck very close when they were venturing into the unknown. She grabbed onto his arm as they made their way down the ramp to the TARDIS doors. The Doctor abruptly paused, causing Rose to run into him. "What is it?" she asked.

"I…feel something. A…presence, in my mind."

"The TARDIS?"

"No, besides the TARDIS. This is… something I haven't felt in a long time. _Years_." He glanced at her for a second. "Stay close," he said before pulling one of the doors open a few inches, only enough for him to see out. He was unable to register what he saw before a face popped up in front of him. A long face with a broad chin, topped with a lot of hair, and sitting on a neck with a bowtie. A face that quickly turned from curious to surprised.

Almost immediately, the face spoke. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

"Who the hell are you?" he asked in return.

"I'm…you. At least I think I am. I don't remember this happening."

"What is it, Doctor?" Rose asked, trying but failing to see over his shoulder. She pulled the door he held open more, but he still stood mostly in the way.

"That sounds like…Is that Rose?" Bowtie asked. "Rose Tyler?" He said almost longingly, standing on his toes to see, then deciding to look under the other man's arm instead. "It is! Hmm, a bit older. Oh! That must mean…_you _must be," he reached a hand and pressed it against the Doctor's chest. "Just one heartbeat! It _is _you, my Human/Time Lord Meta-Crisis!" Quickly, his excitement faded. "Hold on…What are you _doing_ here?"

"Oh, don't tell me he's regenerated," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said distastefully, looking down his nose and taking in the man before him with a critical eye. "And into _this_."

"That's right," he said, adjusting his bowtie. "I'm the regeneration that came after the one _you_ came from. Number eleven!"

"Your hair is ridiculous," he said, poking at it. "It's a bit…floppy."

"Thank you. Floppy is what I was going for. Now, for the third time, what are you doing here?" the Eleventh Doctor asked.

"This is our TARDIS. What are _you _doing here?"

"Hate to break it to you, mate, but somehow you managed to land your TARDIS inside of _my_ TARDIS," he replied, stepping back and sweeping out his arm in display.

The Meta-Crisis Doctor abruptly pulled the doors open all the way and looked around as he stepped out, Rose right behind him. "But…we _can't_ have."

"Really? That's funny, because you just did."

"But that's impossible."

"Is it? Happened before, falling through a crack in time."

The Meta-Crisis Doctor looked over at the other man, annoyed, before shrugging and scratching the back of his neck. "Well, I suppose that explains the energy readings we detected. And it probably has something to do with the TARDIS behaving funny, if we crossed to another universe," he mused, taking a few steps further and looking around. "You've certainly changed her a lot," he said, wrinkling his nose. "Very mechanical looking again. I think it's awful. Absolutely ghastly. Cold and dark, like a mad scientists lair. You haven't gone mad, have you? You certainly look the part. That'd be the last thing we need right now, a Time Lord gone 'round the bend."

But the Eleventh Doctor was barely paying attention as he got a full look at Rose, who continued to stand next to the Police Box, hand clutching the door frame like a lifeline. She stared at him uncertainly, and the Meta-Crisis Doctor, noticing the looks between them, moved next to her and placed an arm around her waist, possessively and in comfort, pulling her close.

"Rose Tyler. Look at you," the Eleventh Doctor said softly.

"I…is that…you…you regenerated. It's you?" she asked.

"It's me," he said. "Bit different, right?" She nodded. "Good different, or bad different?"

Her jaw clenched. "Don't," she whispered, shaking her head, and she turned slightly into the Meta-Crisis Doctor's side as he pulled her closer.

He looked away from her and nodded. "Right…sorry."

"Hate to cut the pleasantries short," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said, "But we need to figure out what is going on here. We aren't supposed to be in the same universe."

"Yes, right. Then the question then is where _are_ we?" the Eleventh Doctor said, moving to his console. "Last I knew, I was in Cardiff, 2013, to check up on the old rift," he said, pressing some buttons. "Where were you headed?"

"The Tyler Mansion in our London, 2016. Pete's World time," the Meta-Crisis Doctor replied, pulling Rose along by the hand as they followed him to the console, both looking around them.

"But why would it pull us together now?" Rose asked, looking up at the Meta-Crisis Doctor. "Are we in the void now? Was it the TARDISes locking onto each other or something?"

"Due to what? Relative proximity within our universes?" the Eleventh Doctor asked, considering this. "How long has it been for you since…well…Bad Wolf Bay? The last time?"

The Meta-Crisis Doctor answered. "About four years. How long for you?"

"Awhile." He was now walking towards the doors of his TARDIS.

The Eleventh Doctor opened the doors and looked around before stepping out. "Still Cardiff," he said. "And no Zeppelins," he added, looking up.

Rose and the Meta-Crisis Doctor followed him out, and the Meta-Crisis Doctor tried to reason things out. "You were in Cardiff, 2013, and we were heading to London in 2016. That universe is aligned with this one with a three year difference, because of the temporal shift from the Cybermen invasion. And somehow, my TARDIS must have locked onto your TARDIS…perhaps because they came from the same coral…"

Rose cleared her throat. "The two of you are ignoring the most important thing. We're in our original universe," she observed. "And that's supposed to be impossible. How were we able to cross the void? The only time this happens is when…"

"The walls of the universes are collapsing," the Eleventh Doctor finished. "Which means something or someone out there is collapsing them." He turned abruptly and led them back into his TARDIS.


	2. Chapter 2

**I really need to stop drinking on Monday afternoons and then making posts, but grad school really requires you to be frequently inebriated, and my inhibitions are lowered, and...well, you get it. Anyway...these first two chapters are admittedly fairly fluffy, and I could have easily posted this story as Rose/10th Doctor Duplicate and Romance, but ff.n wont allow me to choose multiple characters, and the 11th plays a big part, too, so here we are. **

"We need to measure the energy in the area, see if there is any void bleed through," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said, walking back inside with Rose and towards their own TARDIS. "Figure out _where_ this is coming from. I swear if it's this world's Torchwood again, I'm going to throttle Jack. Then, when he comes back, I'm going to do it again. And _then_-"

"Really, I think we get it," the Eleventh Doctor interrupted. "So, you fell through to the void without meaning to. Last time that happened, the TARDIS lost the time vortex. Is yours…" he nodded toward the police box that stood in his own console room.

"Whatever happened, it wasn't quite the same as last time. She took an energy hit, but still going. It's fine. I added an energy reserve system, anyway," the Meta-Crisis Doctor informed him, walking into his own TARDIS, followed closely by Rose. After a moment, the Eleventh Doctor followed as well, stopping at the top of the ramp. "Seemed prudent. Can't just use up my life-energy to charge her up anymore. It will just take me a minute to get the system online."

"So it worked," the Eleventh Doctor said, taking in the TARDIS around him. "The TARDIS coral. The instructions Donna left you."

"Obviously," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said. "Like a charm. Brilliant Donna. Thanks, by the way."

"You built her into another Type forty," the Eleventh Doctor observed. "And you stuck to the old coral theme."

"Yeah, well, bit sentimental, me. Also, it helped that I knew all of the Type forty circuits so well. Seemed like the obvious choice."

"And the police box?" He asked in amusement. "No chameleon circuit?"

"Oh, no, there is a chameleon circuit. First trip we made, we went back to 1963, she transformed into a police box, and we broke the circuit. Rose insisted," he said, grinning at her.

She smiled back. "Wouldn't be home if it wasn't a police box," she said simply.

The Eleventh Doctor stood and watched as Rose and the Meta-Crisis Doctor moved fluidly around the console, he occasionally flicking switches and asking her to hit a certain button, which she would do without having to ask which button he meant, and wordlessly handing each other things. He remembered Rose helping him with various things in the TARDIS, but this was different. It was somehow more intimate and easygoing than they had ever been, like they'd been doing this for years. Well, they had, hadn't they?

"Rose? Would you rewire these into parallel for me?" the Meta-Crisis Doctor asked, swapping out some of the bits he had picked up for some of the bits he had given her to hold.

"Of course," she agreed, glad to have something to help with, taking the bundle of circuit boards, wires, and the sonic he held out to her and settling onto the jump seat, immediately getting to task.

"Thanks, Love." She smiled and continued working without looking up. The Meta-Crisis Doctor grabbed another handful of electronic boards, wires, and other gadgetry and ran back to the door, pushing the Eleventh Doctor back into his own ship, breaking him from his thoughts. The Meta-Crisis Doctor continued over to the doors, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pair of red/cyan glasses and sliding them on. He opened the doors, sticking his head out and looking around. Satisfied, he closed the doors, removed the glasses, and moved back over to the console.

"Void stuff?"

"Didn't see it on anyone or anything," he answered. He set down some of the pieces he was carrying, keeping a metal case in his hands. "I'm going to throw together something to detect any that appears."

"Voidy-Woidy detector?"

"Voidy-Woidy detector! I like it!" the Meta-Crisis Doctor agreed, pointing at the Eleventh Doctor.

"I'll start a scan for nearby energy fluctuations, maybe we can figure out where to aim our search." the Eleventh Doctor said, turning to his monitor on the console.

The Meta-Crisis Doctor nodded as he put on his glasses. "Give me your sonic," he said, holding out his hand. When the Eleventh Doctor only raised his eyebrows, he added "You still carry a sonic screwdriver, don't you?" with a single eyebrow raised. After a moment, the Eleventh Doctor reached into his pocket and handed it over. "Thanks." He was silent for a moment. "So, regeneration…how'd it happen?"

"Radiation," the Eleventh Doctor said simply.

The Meta-Crisis Doctor looked mildly surprised. "Again?"

"Yes, well I was helping a friend. Wilf, actually. Wilfred Mott. You remember, Donna's granddad."

The Meta-Crisis Doctor nodded. Having only met the old man a few brief times, he hadn't known Wilf very well, but he knew the man adored Donna, and she had often spoken very fondly of him. "He's alright?" The Eleventh Doctor nodded "And…Donna?" he asked carefully.

The Eleventh Doctor kept looking at the screen, but his eyes stared blankly at it, unmoving. "She's alright. Happy, I think. She got married, to a fellow called Shaun Temple." He sighed heavily. "After I left you in the other world…she couldn't handle a Time Lord consciousness. I had to take it from her and…and all of her memories of travelling in the TARDIS."

The Meta-Crisis Doctor looked at him and nodded, swallowing hard. "I thought something like that might happen." He breathed deeply. "I'm so sorry you had to do that. Sorry you had to go through that. Donna, she was… Well, she was Donna. She was the best." The Eleventh Doctor nodded but remained silent. "Were you alone long after?"

"Yeah," he said softly. "For a few years. I picked up someone here or there, like Wilf, but never for more than a short time. Then, after I regenerated…I met some friends, lovely couple, and they stayed around for a while. They were great. Brilliant. Lost them not too long ago. But they're okay, they're safe. Together." They were both quiet. "Anyway," he said, breaking the silence. "Rose is rewiring circuits?"

"Yeeep," the Meta-Crisis Doctor replied, taking the sonic and buzzing at the device he was holding. "She always used to help with things like this. You remember."

"She handed me parts, or called out information from the monitor. This is a bit different."

The Meta-Crisis Doctor shrugged. "She got quite good at it over the last few years, had lots of practice. I taught her some things. She helped me build the interface circuitry for our TARDIS. Some couples spend their evenings in front of the telly, we spent ours engineering electronic components," he said with a smile. "Rose _is_ quite clever."

"Yeah, I recall," the Eleventh Doctor nodded. "How long did it take? Getting the TARDIS grown and running."

"One year, three months, two weeks and two days. Not so bad, really, spending some time on the slow path. Wasn't like back in the UNIT days. Remember that?" He had a faraway look in his eyes. "Of course you do. Oh, Bessie. What a great little car. Anyway, it wasn't smooth sailing the whole way. But we had a good year on Earth. Great year, actually," he smiled fondly. Then he noticed the Eleventh Doctor looking at Rose through the doorway instead of at the screen in front of him, and his eyes narrowed. "I'd appreciate it if you'd stop staring at my wife," he said casually.

The Eleventh Doctor jumped lightly at having been caught. "Sorry, it's just—what? You're married." It was somewhere between a statement and a question.

"Of course we are." The Meta-Crisis Doctor held up his hand, wiggling his ring finger to show the band it held. "This isn't a bio-damper. Well...it's not _just _a bio-damper. Over three years, now. You're surprised?"

The Eleventh Doctor shrugged. "I guess not. I was just never sure how it worked out between you two. I mean, I hoped you'd be happy together. That was the point. Married, though…blimey. That's good, though, great, really." He was quiet for a few moments. "So…she knows my—or, your—well, _our_ name?"

The Meta-Crisis Doctor smiled and nodded. "Yeah, of course." Then he grinned. "Actually, for our first anniversary, she got it tattooed in Gallifreyan on her…oh, uhh…well, nevermind." He said, realizing he didn't want this guy thinking about what was also _his_ name tattooed on Rose. "Why? Do you mind?"

"What? That she knows my name or that she has a tattoo of it some place that is apparently unmentionable?" The Meta-Crisis Doctor gave him the look he used to save for Jack Harkness, and the Eleventh Doctor had the decency to look chagrined. "Sorry. Anyway, no, I don't mind. Can't really, can I? It's your name, too." The Eleventh Doctor nodded towards him. "Replaced the brown suit, I see."

The Meta-Crisis Doctor grabbed his lapel with the hand clutching the sonic and stood proudly. "Tailor made. The Tyler's tailor. Rose bought it for me."

"And you're not cross with me?" the Eleventh Doctor suddenly asked.

The Meta-Crisis Doctor was surprised by the sudden subject change. "Why should I be cross with you?"

"Because I said you were dangerous. Because I took the TARDIS. Because I abandoned you in parallel universe."

"Ahh, right. Sounds like you think I should be angry," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said as he adjusted a knob on the contraption he worked on. He stopped what he was doing, leaning against the console to look at the Eleventh Doctor and handed him back his sonic. "I was angry, at first. But mostly because leaving the way you did hurt Rose. You broke her heart."

"_I_ broke _her_ heart?" he asked in disbelief. "She had you. She's the one that chose to snog _you_."

The Meta-Crisis Doctor abruptly stood straight and looked down at the other man fiercely, benefiting from a slight height advantage, finger pointing at his chest. He spoke low. "Don't you dare; you know that's not fair. You were dumping her on that beach, leaving her, like we said we'd never do. And I told her what she needed to hear. What she _deserved_ to hear."

The Eleventh Doctor just kept looking at the monitor, long enough that the Meta-Crisis Doctor thought he was just going to let the subject drop. Suddenly, his voice came, quiet but hard. "You of all people know how much I wanted to tell her. How many times I had wanted to say it before I lost her. How often I wished for just two more seconds with her so I _could _tell her. And you should know why I didn't say it then; because she _deserved_ to hear it from someone who could give her more than I could. Someone who could share their life with her."

After a moment, the Meta-Crisis Doctor's face softened and he looked back down, nodding and rubbing the corner of his eye. "Yeah." He leaned back against the console again, relaxing his posture. "Quite right, too. I'm sorry. I… I know how hard that must have been for you."

_The TARDIS was gone. They stood on the beach, and held each other, the Doctor crying softly as Rose wept against him. _

_"You don't even have the TARDIS anymore. It was all you had."_

_"I've got you…haven't I?"_

_She nodded against him, tightening her hold. "I just…I don't want him to be alone."_

_He placed a kiss in her hair. "I know."_

_"He left me. He said he wouldn't leave me."_

_"He did it because he loves you," he said with his lips still pressed to the top of her head. "He wanted you to have the life he wanted to give you but never could. A life spent together. He loves you so much that he gave you up so that you could have that."_

_"How do you know?"_

_"I know because I'm him, and that's how I feel. It's a life I want to give you. No, not just that; it's a life I want to share with you. It's a life I can share with you, if you'll let me. And it's a promise _I_ can still keep, Rose Tyler," he pulled back and stared at her for a moment, reaching up and wiping her tears away with his thumbs. He reached down and grabbed one of her hands, bringing it up and holding it against his chest. "I only have one heart now…but if that's enough for you, it's yours. And as long as it beats, I promise you, I will never leave you." And he leaned down and kissed her softly. And she kissed him back._

He shook the memory away and cleared his throat before he spoke again, voice more cheerful. "She was hurt, but she realizes why you did it now. She knows. We're happy now. Whatever feelings I may have had about it—it's forgiven. Alright?" The Eleventh Doctor didn't say anything, but looked satisfied. "As for the rest of it, well, I _was_ a bit dangerous…just a bit too impulsive, Rose once said. And you gave me a piece of the TARDIS, so now we have our own. And," he said, turning and putting an arm around the Eleventh Doctor's shoulders and nodding through the doors towards Rose, where she sat sideways on the jump seat, still rewiring with the tip of her tongue poking between her teeth and a look of concentration on her face. "You _did_ abandon me in a parallel universe with _Rose Tyler_. I get to spend my life with her. I've gotten to sleep with her next to me almost every night for the last four years."

"You need to sleep every night?" the Eleventh Doctor asked in surprise.

The Meta-Crisis Doctor dropped his arm and rolled his eyes. "Of all the—no, of course not. I mean, sure, this body wears down a little bit faster, but I've still got a Time Lord brain, haven't I? But with Rose in my bed, why _wouldn't_ I?" He grinned before returning to his task.

The Eleventh Doctor smiled sadly, before breaking into an outright grin. "I suppose I should be rather envious, the life you have now. _And_ you've got a TARDIS again! Well done on that, by the way, she looks great. Still, lifespan considerably shortened…"

"I've had 700 years of travel through time and space. I'd have _gladly_ given up another 700 for just the 70 years I could have growing old with Rose, TARDIS or not. You knew that. You would have too, if…well. Still, that's why you left her with me." The Meta-Crisis Doctor leaned against the console, tongue out as he fiddled with the contraption and contemplating his next words. "So…have you met her, yet? I mean, in her timeline. River Song?" The Eleventh Doctor glanced over at Rose, looking uneasy.

_"What are you thinking about?" the Doctor asked Rose. They were lying in bed, her head on his shoulder, and she was lost in thought. Rose didn't answer him, and even looked a little guilty. "Him?" It wasn't asked with jealousy or anger, just a simple question. She nodded. "It's alright, Rose. It's only been a few weeks, and I would never expect you to just forget about him."_

_Rose sighed and rolled back onto her pillow, and he rose up onto his elbow to look at her. "I'm just…wondering if he's okay. If he's happy."_

_"I guarantee he's not as happy as I am," he said, nuzzling her bare shoulder. Then he caught the tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Rose. I shouldn't have said that. That was…well, rude."_

_She smiled. "It's alright. I'm glad you're happy, Doctor. I just worry about him, you know? I want him to be happy, too."_

___He brushed his fingers through her hair_. "Even without you?" 

_"Of course," she said, as if it should be obvious. "I've got you. I hope he finds someone, too. Friends or…anything."_

_He smiled at her. "He will."_

_"How are you so certain?" _

_He was silent for a moment, deciding something. "Not long before you came back, Donna and I met this woman called River Song. She knew me, but not _me_ me. Some future me, after regenerating. And she told me something that she shouldn't have known, unless— well, it's something I reckon I'll be telling you soon. I think that they have a future together. Together together, like you and me."_

_"But not until after he regenerates?" asked Rose. _

_"I think so. Is that…is it okay that I told you?"_

_After a moment, she smiled. "Yes. I think…maybe I'm a bit jealous. And I don't like to think about him regenerating. But I know that's irrational. And it's nothing to how relieved I am that he won't be alone forever." She was quiet for a moment. "What was she like?"_

_He shrugged. "I didn't know her for long. She was…strong willed and courageous, like you. But older, and had lots of really curly hair. Oh, and it was a bit ginger! Maybe he'll be ginger, too. He'd love that!" He grinned for a moment before sobering. "I could tell she…she really loved him."_

_Rose smiled and teared up at this. "Was she…did you think she was…attractive?"_

_He shrugged. "She was pretty, and intelligent. But she wasn't really _my_ type."_

_"No? And what is your type, Doctor?"_

_"Oh, you know. Gorgeous, blonde, good at running. Hand that fits perfectly in mine," he said, picking up one of hers and kissing it. "So Brave, and so clever, and oh so compassionate. So much so that she'd keep doing the impossible for me. Willing to give up everything, absorbing the time vortex and jumping across universes to save me. Know where I can find someone like that?"_

_"Oh, I know a girl like that, but I'm not so sure on the clever part. She hasn't got any A-levels."_

_"A-levels? Who needs A-levels? I haven't got any A-levels. No, she's clever well beyond what A-levels test for, anyway. Unless they have a 'Defending the Universes' A-level now." She smiled at him. "What about you? What's your type?"_

_She grinned. "Oh, he's really rare."_

_"Yeah? How rare."_

_"One of a kind. Has to be a human/Time Lord meta-crisis, and he has to have fantastic hair." She reached up and ran a hand through his._

_"Oi! I know that bloke!"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Oh yes. But I must warn you, Rose Tyler," his voice lowered. "He's very frisky." Rose laughed as he quickly rolled on top of her and started nipping at her neck. _

The Meta-Crisis Doctor looked to Rose and back to the Eleventh Doctor. "It's alright. I told her what I knew a long time ago. She was…happy that you were going to move on. She never wanted you to be alone. She was hopeful that you'd find happiness."

The Eleventh Doctor smiled sadly. "Of course she was. That's very Rose. And yes, I've met her. She tried to kill me. Then she saved my life again. And then…well, it's all…wibbly wobbly, really. Our time lines aren't exactly running parallel."

The Meta-Crisis Doctor nodded. "And she's still…?"

"In my timeline."

"So where is she?"

He shrugged and smiled. "Around. Comes and goes."

"Are you two…I thought…you didn't marry?"

"Yes. Well…sort of."

"Sort of? How do you sort of marry someone?" he asked with a furrowed brow, before realization dawned on his face. "Oh, what am I asking? It's you. Rubbish at weddings."

"Oi! That's you, too!"

"Not anymore. Our wedding went off without a hitch! Well, I say without a hitch, but Jackie Tyler was running the show. All hitches were abruptly slapped back into place," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said, rubbing his face in memory.

"Oh-ho, that's _right!_ Jackie Tyler is now your _mother_-_in-law_!" The Eleventh Doctor pointed gleefully. "Haha! How's _that_?"

The Meta-Crisis Doctor looked up at him from his task of putting everything together, smiling lightly and shaking his head. "Oh, Jackie's not so bad," he admitted. "Just don't let Rose know I said that. She'll want to stop for visits more often." He straigtened up. "Speaking of Rose, I need those circuits from her. Be back!" he said, setting the contraption on the console and walking back to his own TARDIS.

"Just about done?" he asked her, swinging the doors shut behind him out of habit before running up the ramp.

"Yeah, just about," Rose said. "There was a bad resistor I had to swap out. And…there we go," she announced, handing him back the circuits and sonic screwdriver.

"Thank you," he said happily, taking them from her.

"How'd it go over there? You two seemed to be talking a lot."

"Yeah. Just catching up, about what we've both been up to. I told him we were married. He took that well." He was silent for a moment. "And he told me he's met River Song. She's not here right now, but…they're together," he looked at her to see her reaction, and was pleased to see a small smile.

"Then he's not alone. Good." She stood from the jump seat. "Are you okay, seeing him again?"

"I was just thinking about how to ask you the same thing," he admitted, scratching behind his ear. "You seemed a bit…uncomfortable at first."

She shrugged. "I'm alright. I mean, it _is_ odd. But I'm not the one whose life changed drastically, now seeing what would have been," she pointed out. "I mean, you can't regenerate, you're gonna grow old. And you and me, we still do what we used to, but there's all the _domestic_ stuff now. Seeing him, I thought…I don't know, that maybe you might miss it, or something."

"Are you kidding me?" he asked, moving closer and putting his arms around her waist. "With you, I _love_ the 'domestic' stuff," he said suggestively before kissing her. He pulled back, hands on her hips, after noticing she still looked uncertain. "You honestly believe that I might rather be running around the universe without you, than running around the universe _with_ you? I've told you how hard it was without you. How much I missed _you_ when you were pulled away."

Rose felt her eyes water. "I just thought…seeing him. He seems happy enough. And that's good, I'm glad he's happy, but—"

"But nothing, Rose Tyler. I wouldn't give this life up for _anything_. You're stuck with me." She smiled. "What about you, then?" he asked. "Now that you've seen what he regenerated to. Are you still satisfied with me stuck like this, getting older, actually _needing _reading glasses now, or are you keen on that young-looking, pretty, full-blooded Time Lord out there?"

"Fishing for compliments, are you?" she answered with a grin, then took his hands in hers. "Well, I'm going to give them to you. First of all, you, who spends half an hour every morning preening his hair, _are_ the pretty one. And I'm glad I have you, because this is the you that's made for me. I love that you have one heart that you gave to me. I love that I don't have to worry about you changing on me. I love that we're going to grow old and grey and wrinkly together. I love your rudeness, and your incredible hair, and your gob, and your shining big brown eyes, and your skinniness, and your one eyebrow that goes up, and your clever tongue that you like to drive me crazy with by poking the back of your teeth when you think, and your pinstripes and Chucks, and those _sexy_ glasses, and that you don't wear an ugly tweed jacket and stupid bowtie-"

"You know, you can complement me without insulting him." But he was grinning, looking quite pleased with himself.

"My point is I find you much more attractive than him. Much sexier. And you know what I love most of all?" she asked, gently tugging on his tie to urge him closer.

"What's that?"

"How much I know you love me, and will only love me, for the rest of our lives."

He grinned and kissed her. "Only you, until the end of time," he confirmed. "But…you forgot to mention how great I am in bed."

She bit her bottom lip, and then replied huskily, "Mmm, in bed, on the sofa, on the floor, against the console, on the jump seat, in my parents' wine cellar, that time in the forest on Martok Four..."

He laughed deeply in his throat and kissed her with a smile.

There was a knock on the door and they broke apart. "Tylers!" came the muffled call. "What's taking so long?"

The Eleventh Doctor raised his eyebrows as the doors opened. "How's that circuit coming?"

"It's done," Rose answered, as the Meta-Crisis Doctor walked past and to the console with the part in his hand, picking up the detector and attaching them, this time with his own sonic screwdriver.

"There we are," he said. "Voidy-Woidy detector."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Voidy-Woidy detector? Really?" She shook her head. "Anyway, why can't we just use the glasses?"

"We _can_, but this will alert us and point us in the direction of void stuff. The signal gets stronger the closer you are."

"Well, come on, let's see if it works. We just crossed, so I should be covered in void stuff, yeah?" she said, holding out her arms.

"Of course it works, Rose. I made it," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said, but he flicked the device on anyway. As he pointed it towards her, the device made a whirring sound. "See!" He then moved it from her to their TARDIS, but as he did so, the sound only faded. "That's odd. The TARDIS isn't registering."

"Lost your touch," the Eleventh Doctor said, reaching out. "Let me fix it."

The Meta-Crisis Doctor pulled it away. "I didn't _lose _anything. It works fine."

"If you're so sure, let me see it." The Meta-Crisis Doctor reluctantly handed it over with a huff.

"Transmodulator seems to be tuned right…hmm." The Eleventh Doctor pulled out his sonic and whirred it a bit. He flicked the device on and again pointed it at Rose, and then the TARDIS. Again, the sound was lost. "This _should_ be working."

"Told you."

"Unless..." Rose said, with a faraway look.

"What?" The Meta-Crisis Doctor asked.

She walked quickly toward him. "What if we _didn't_ come through the void?" she asked, reaching into his pocket and digging around before pulling out his red/cyan glasses and putting them on.

"The only way across universes is through the void," the Eleventh Doctor said.

"I don't see anything on our TARDIS," she said, then looked down at her hands. "The only bit of our TARDIS that would have had void stuff on it before would be from the piece coral. The outside, the frame, the dimensional matrix we grew it in, we built in the parallel world. And there's not _much_ on me. Not as much as last time, anyway. Or you," she added looking at her husband. "And you are almost completely free of it," she told the Eleventh Doctor. She removed the glasses and handed them to the Meta-Crisis Doctor, who made the same observations.

"But…_how_?" he wondered.

Impatient, the Eleventh Doctor took the glasses right off of the Meta-Crisis Doctors face and had a look for himself. "So what's left on us is just residue, from years ago." He held his hands out in front of him. "Hmm, maybe I should wash more often."

"So we crossed universes, that much is obvious," Rose said. "But we haven't crossed the void."

"Which means the universes must be…touching," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said in confusion.

"But that's impossible," the Eleventh Doctor said.

"That's my line," the Meta-Crisis Doctor told him. "Get your own. But…yeah. _Impossible_."

They were all silent for a few moments as they speculated. "Well, no use sitting around here while we wonder," the Eleventh Doctor said, moving quickly towards the TARDIS doors. "I'm starving. Can't think when I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat."


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, so I didn't intend on posting this until Monday, but here we are. And I'm posting it sober! **

They found a pub nearby and sat in a quiet booth, Rose and the Meta-Crisis Doctor on one side, the Eleventh Doctor on the other. In such a relaxed atmosphere, it was easy to get side-tracked from what was important, and they indulged in a couple rounds of beer along with their food.

Rose looked on with humorous disbelief as she watched the Eleventh Doctor eat. "Is that jam you've spread on your pastie?"

"Yep. It's good. Care for some?" he asked happily, holding out his half eaten pastie.

She shook her head and wrinkled her nose. "No…that's alright."

"Regenerations. Told you once, Rose, dodgy process. Apparently wires got crossed on his tongue," said the Meta-Crisis Doctor, nodding toward the Eleventh Doctor.

"When I first regenerated, I ate fish fingers and custard. It was delicious," said the Eleventh Doctor through a mouthful of pastie.

"You don't like pears now, do you?" asked the Meta-Crisis Doctor.

"No, never!" he exclaimed with a look of disgust.

"Good." He drained his glass.

"Another round?" the Eleventh Doctor asked, although he still had half a beer left.

The Meta-Crisis Doctor shook his head. "Better not. Only have the one liver now," he said, pointing to his lower right ribs. "My tolerance isn't what it used to be."

Rose giggled. "Found that out the hard way," she said into her drink.

"That's probably enough for you, too," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said, taking the almost-empty-glass from her and draining the last bit himself. "We still don't know what's caused this disturbance. Best keep all of our heads in the game."

"Afraid she'll run out and get another tattoo?" the Eleventh Doctor asked casually as he sipped his own drink.

Rose's eyes widened as she twisted to look at her husband. "You _told_ him!"

The Meta-Crisis Doctor glared at the Eleventh Doctor before looking at Rose innocently. "I didn't mean to, Rose. Honest. It slipped out!"

"It really did," the Eleventh Doctor agreed. "Blimey, I'd forgotten what a _gob_ I used to have," he murmured to himself.

"I think you've just proven that you've still got a gob," the Meta-Crisis Doctor told him.

"I can't believe you told him," Rose said, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry! Look, I didn't tell him _where_," the Meta-Crisis Doctor defended.

"I'll just fill in that little detail myself, thanks," the Eleventh Doctor said. Both Rose and the Meta-Crisis Doctor glared at him. "Or not. Anyway, back to business! We have a mystery to solve."

Rose ate a chip and chewed while she thought. "There doesn't seem to be anything going on other than the universes conjoining. Is it _possible_ that all this has just been some weird, natural freak occurrence?" There was doubt in the question. Rose knew it was unlikely, but as neither of the Doctors had any idea what might have been going on, she felt the need to voice the possibility, if only to get the ideas flowing.

"No, nothing like this has happened before," the Eleventh Doctor said. "For the void in between to just disappear like that? If it had happened naturally, the universes would have collided, and that would have been…well, let's just say we wouldn't be here discussing it."

"And there have been no energy surges. No anything, really. It seems everything is stable now. Two universes, just sitting right next to each other," The Meta-Crisis Doctor said, stealing one of Rose's chips. "Whatever or whoever caused this needs them set up like this for a reason."

"But why? For what reason could they need the universes together, without a void in-between?" asked Rose.

The Eleventh Doctor reached over and took one of Rose's chips, too. They looked at him oddly as he chewed. "What? I thought you were sharing." He shrugged, stealing another. "Anyway, that is the question. It probably makes crossing back and forth easier."

"Are you sure? I mean, we're going to be able to get back then, right?" Rose asked.

The Eleventh Doctor looked between the two of them. "The two of you wouldn't want to stay? In this universe, I meant. Not with _me_."

The Meta-Crisis Doctor raised his eyebrow. "You didn't ask us what we wanted before." It was an accusation, but he didn't look upset.

He shrugged. "No, I know, but…you know, things were different then. And this universe has your old friends, Rose. And your cousins and your gran."

She looked at him sadly. "But most of them think I've been dead for, what, six years now? And I couldn't just leave my mum without her knowing. I know I said-," she stopped and took a breath. "Like you said, things are different now."

"Yeah, I know," he agreed with a nod. "Anyway, without the void there, passing through should be easy. Like a window, instead of a wall, between universes."

Rose looked down into her chips. "We could just pass through, any time we want?"

The Meta-Crisis Doctor grabbed her hand. "I told you there wasn't a way for me to do that after Canary Wharf, Rose," he said, knowing where her thoughts had gone. "We still don't know _how_ this was done. But I can tell you that however it was done, it was with a huge risk of destroying everything. You know if there had been a way..." She nodded her understanding and smiled as he put his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.

Rose looked up and caught the Eleventh Doctor watching them with a small but genuine smile. "What?" she asked him.

He looked like he was considering whether or not to answer for a few moments. "It's nothing," he finally said, scratching the back of his head. But Rose kept looking at him expectantly, and for the life of him, he couldn't help answering her. "Oh, it's just…it's been a long time, and…it's sort of nice, seeing you two together, happy." There was still something haunting his eyes, maybe a longing for what could have been. But he did seem genuinely happy for them.

Rose reached over and squeezed his hand where it rested on the table. "I'm glad."

He squeezed her hand back lightly. "Alright, come on, now!" he said suddenly, causing Rose to jump and pull her hand back. "You two are so _emotional_ all of the time, so sensitive and lovey-dovey. It's very distracting. We need to figure out what—" he abruptly stopped talking. Both Doctor's eyes' widened and they straightened up, glancing at each other.

Rose looked between the two of them. "What is it?"

"That's not you?" the Eleventh Doctor asked the Meta-Crisis Doctor.

He shook his head. "No. I feel it, too."

"Feel what?" Rose asked. "What's going on?"

"There's someone there. Another Time Lord," The Meta-Crisis Doctor answered.

"Come on," the Eleventh Doctor said, getting up and moving towards the door.

Rose quickly pulled some bills out of her pocket and threw them onto the table, and the Meta-Crisis Doctor picked them back up. "Wrong universe," he reminded her. He grabbed her hand and they chased after the Eleventh Doctor, who had already run back outside. They almost collided with him, standing just outside of the pub doors. The reason for his hesitance was immediately apparent as they looked across the roadway.

Standing on the curbside was a man with what looked to be a sonic blaster in hand, pointing it at the Eleventh Doctor with a maniacal smile on his face. Both Doctors whipped out their sonic screwdrivers and pointed them at the man. In response, he raised his blaster above their heads and shot out the window above the door. The Meta-Crisis Doctor leaned over Rose to cover her from the shower of glass, and the Eleventh Doctor spread his arms over both of them. People on the street began running and screaming in all directions and the three of them were shoved aside as the patrons who had been inside the pub ran out.

"This way!" Rose said, grabbing them both by the arm and dragging them away from the door, ducking into the ally next to the pub.

"We need to get back to the TARDIS," the Eleventh Doctor said. "We'll blend into the crowd. Run!"

"No!" Rose said, grabbing his wrist. "He's after us. Or you two. One of you, I don't know. But he doesn't care about everyone else. We can't run with them, he's got a gun and he'll follow and innocent people might get hurt."

"Right," the Eleventh Doctor said. "Do you suggest we just sit here and wait for him to come and shoot us?" he asked, holding his arm out.

"He could have shot us then, but he didn't," the Meta-Crisis Doctor reasoned. "He must need something."

"Fine way of asking," the Eleventh Doctor said, adjusting his jacket.

The Meta-Crisis Doctor looked around and further down the alley spotted a "Pub Employees Only" door on the side of the building, out from which several people had just run. "Come on," he said, swiftly moving forward, pulling Rose by the hand, Rose in turn pulling the Eleventh Doctor by the arm. The Meta-Crisis Doctor unlocked the door with his sonic and they ducked back inside the pub they had just left.

"Oh, lovely. No chance he'll come looking for us in here," the Eleventh Doctor remarked sarcastically. The Meta-Crisis Doctor ignored him and pulled them over to the bar, ducking underneath and trying to stay out of view of the large front windows, which had also been blown out at some point

They all sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the commotion outside. "Who is he?" Rose asked.

"I don't know," the Eleventh Doctor answered. "Never saw him before."

"But he's definitely a Time Lord," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said. "You haven't sensed anyone before now?"

"No. Not recently." He thought for a moment. "He may have come from your universe. That could be why they were pulled together. In fact, it _has _to be the reason."

The Meta-Crisis Doctor shook his head. "But I haven't felt anyone, either."

"A third universe?" Rose suggested.

"I suppose it's possible," the Eleventh Doctor said. "But then why would he have pulled our two universes together?"

"Well, whatever the reason, we're not going to figure it out sitting back here," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said.

"I don't hear much from outside anymore," Rose agreed. "Let's check it out."

"If we all go, we'll be more noticeable, and an easier target," the Eleventh Doctor pointed out. "Stay here; I'll go have a peak."

"Wait, you can't! It seemed to me that he was after _you_. I'll go," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said, moving to stand up.

"No!" Rose and the Eleventh Doctor said at the same time. Rose clutched the back of his jacket, and the Eleventh Doctor looked at him fiercely, placing a hand on the other Doctor's arm to still him. "We have no idea if he was only after me, or what his intentions are." The Meta-Crisis Doctor shook the hand off and prepared to protest. "_You _are a Time Lord too. He could just as easily be targeting you. Stay here with you wife."

Rose scoffed, and the Meta-Crisis Doctor narrowed his eyes. "She can take care of herself." Despite the severity of the situation, Rose beamed at him.

The Eleventh Doctor rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm well aware of Rose Tyler's self-preservation skills; right up there with her skills at wandering off and finding trouble. But only one of us needs to go. And would you rather she stays here with me?" The Meta-Crisis Doctor considered this. "And besides, whoever this person is, whatever he's here for, it's not good. And you can't regenerate. _I_ can."

After a moment, the Meta-Crisis Doctor nodded, motioning for him to go ahead. Rose scooted up closer to her husband, still crouching, and placed one hand on his back, the other on his bicep, ready in case he changed his mind and tried to investigate things himself. The Eleventh Doctor cautiously moved out from under the bar and stood, staying low, walking slowly around.

"I'm bloody useless," the Meta-Crisis Doctor muttered to himself once the sound of the other's footsteps faded under the sound of the music that still played in the pub.

"Shut-up," Rose said, quite seriously. "That's not true, and you know it. And I _never _want to hear you say that again." She moved the arm on his back forward to grasp his hand in hers.

***DW***

The Eleventh Doctor crept towards the front of the pub slowly, walking along the row of booths they had been occupying. As he passed the table they had been seated at, he took a large swig of his beer and grabbed one of the pasties he had left in their rush. Nearing the front of the pub, he had a decent view of the street and could see no one. Everything was calm, except for the sound of a car alarm that would not quit and the rustling of a few papers that blew down the street. Once the Eleventh Doctor had reached the door, he took a bite of the pastie and threw the rest through the broken window. If anyone was still out there, they didn't react to the flying food. Feeling bolder, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver as he moved forward and cautiously stepped up the window.

"Olly olly oxen free!" he called loudly as he jumped out onto the pavement and whipped his sonic screwdriver in both directions, looking for anyone. The street was empty, so he made his way over to the ally they had run down, but it was also abandoned. Hearing sirens in the distance, the Eleventh Doctor pocketed his screwdriver and walked back to the pub.

***DW***

"How long could it possibly take to just look outside," Rose said, worriedly. "Do you think he's alright?"

The Meta-Crisis Doctor looked down at her with an affectionate smile. He was surprised to find how much it pleased him that she still cared about the man he had once been meant to become. "Yes," he reassured her. "He's fine. If he wasn't, he could let me know," he said, pointing to his temple. And after a moment, "You still care about him."

She looked up at him. "Of course I do. You two were once the same man. The man I fell in love with."

That caught him a bit. "Do you…" he hesitated, looking down at her hand clutched in his. "Are you still in love with him, too?"

"What?" She looked surprised at the question, shaking her head slowly. "He's not you. He was, but not anymore. Even if he hadn't regenerated…I mean, I suppose makes it _easier_ to see him. But…you and I, we've come so far in four years. We've been through so much together. If things had been different, and the two of you never diverged…but no, I'm not in love with him. Not now. Things happened the way they did, and I'm happy. I'm spending my life with the man I want to be with."

He smiled hugely. "You know what you are, Rose Tyler? You're amazing, you are."

She smiled. "You're pretty amazing yourself," she said, bumping his shoulder. "It's a bit unlike you, though. Wondering what might have been, having _doubts_. Not something you usually bother with."

He shrugged, pulling his ear. "Oh, I don't know. One heart or two, I never really thought I was deserving of you. And I'm performing my husbandly duty, making sure my wife is as happy as she can be."

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Oh, she is. She most definitely is."

They both looked up as they heard a noise above them and suddenly the Eleventh Doctor's head and shoulders appeared, upside down and supporting a big grin, hanging over the bar top above them. Startled, both Rose and the Meta-Crisis Doctor jumped, and the latter of them, being taller, smacked his head hard against the surface above. "All clear!" the Eleventh Doctor informed them before popping back up.

Together they crawled out and stood, the Meta-Crisis Doctor rubbing his head and glaring at his full Time Lord counterpart, who stood behind the bar picking up jiggers and strainers and studying them. He reached into a jar of olives and popped one into his mouth, before leaning over and spitting it out. "_Blech_. I forgot I don't like olives." Rose looked on in amusement, the Meta-Crisis Doctor in disdain, still nursing his head, as the Eleventh Doctor grabbed the bar gun and sprayed his tongue with soda water. Then, noticing the bottles in the well, he announced "Ooh, I've always wanted to try this." Grabbing a bottle of vodka, he flipped it wildly over his shoulder, attempting to catch it with his hand behind him. It shattered all over the floor. "Hmm…harder than it looks."

"Are you finished?" The Meta-Crisis Doctor asked.

"Yep." He stepped carefully over the shattered glass. "Come along, Tylers," the Eleventh Doctor said, hopping over the bar, knocking over several glasses in the effort, before leading the way out.

The Meta-Crisis Doctor removed his hand from his head and held it out in front of himself and Rose. "Look at this, I'm bleeding! Urgh, who knows what's living underneath that bar counter."

"Come on, we'll get you fixed up," she said, taking his other hand. "So, do you get more immature with every regeneration?" she asked, and he bumped his shoulder against hers as they followed the Eleventh Doctor out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the follows! Now can I get some reviews up in here? ;-)**

Darkness had set in as they left the pub. During the short walk back, the Eleventh Doctor told them the streets had been quiet and empty when he ventured outside, and there was no sign of the man with the blaster. "And I don't feel him anymore," he admitted.

"No, I can't feel him either," agreed the Meta-Crisis Doctor. "He's hiding himself somehow."

They were near the TARDIS when they heard feet pounding the pavement and a man calling behind them. "DOCTOR!"

The three of them turned to see a tall, broad man in a long coat running toward them, abruptly stopping ten feet from them when he saw the group. "Rose!" he exclaimed in shock.

"Jack!" she said almost at the same time, and they rushed towards each other and into a tight hug, Jack lifting her a few inches from the ground and spinning before setting her back on her feet.

He stepped back and held her at arm's length, looking her up and down. "You look _gorgeous_," he said, before grabbing her cheeks and leaning forward for a kiss. Rose laughed.

The Doctor's had both walked up behind Rose. "Captain!" the Meta-Crisis Doctor said happily by way of greeting.

"Doctor," he looked up and nodded once, smiling widely.

"Mind not snogging my wife?" he asked casually.

"You-you're what? Oh, that's fantastic!" he shouted and grabbed the Meta-Crisis Doctor's cheeks and kissed him just as he had Rose. When he pulled back, the Doctor wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, looking annoyed. "Married. Haha! I knew it was only a matter of time. You two had chemistry even when I first met you, all dancing about and flirting." He looked over and noticed the Eleventh Doctor. "And who is this?" he asked, eyeing him appreciatively and holding out his hand. "Captain Jack Harkness."

"Yes, I know who you are, Jack," the Eleventh Doctor replied cheerfully, taking his hand and shaking it eagerly anyway. "I'm The Doctor."

Jack furrowed his brow for a second, and then realization dawned on him. "Oh! You've regenerated again," he said. "That explains…that bar in Zaggit Zagoo. I thought you were saying goodbye."

The Eleventh Doctor swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, I was."

Jack nodded and looked back to the Meta-Crisis Doctor. "So you must be…the meta-crisis?"

"One and only," he said with a grin, holding his arms out to his sides.

"Huh. I'll have to tell Mickey he was right next time I see him," he said.

"You've seen Mickey? How is he?" Rose asked.

"I haven't seen him for about a year, but last time, he was good. Fighting aliens with Martha, on their own. Decided they could do a whole lot more without the bureaucracy. Oh, and they're _married_."

"Martha and Mickey are married? Oh, that's wonderful!" Rose exclaimed, tapping her husband in the ribs excitedly.

"Ha! How about that?" The Meta-Crisis Doctor grinned at Rose, and then furrowed his brow. "Wait. What about that Milligan fellow?" he asked Jack.

"Oh, he and Martha broke it off. Amicably. He was always off in Africa, and he couldn't really understand her work. And Martha thought she and Mickey had a lot more in common, anyway," he said. "You know, traveling through time, fighting aliens, past unrequited love in the TARDIS, all that."

"Oh, Mickey fancied me, too? I never knew," the Meta-Crisis Doctor quipped. Rose looked at him disapprovingly and poked him in the ribs.

Jack just grinned. "What are you two doing here, though? I mean, it's great to see you, fantastic really. But we thought, when we hadn't heard from Rose for so long, maybe you were back in the parallel world."

"We were," Rose said. "We got…pulled back in our TARDIS. It landed in his-"she turned to point to the Eleventh Doctor and realized he was gone. At least he had left the doors to the TARDIS open for them.

"You grew another TARDIS? So fast?" Jack asked, surprised.

"Yeah, come in and see it," Rose said. She led the way back into the TARDIS. She stopped just outside the doors, looking up and around the door frame. "Is it…_bluer?_"

"Huh," said the Meta-Crisis Doctor, rubbing a hand along the outside. "Yes, it is. Well, come on." He motioned them forward. "You could have said something," he said to the Eleventh Doctor once they were inside.

"Thought you might want to catch up," he shrugged from his spot by the console. "And I was bored."

Jack looked around him. "Wow, she's changed!" he exclaimed. "So…futuristic. You know, in a retro twenty-first century future sort of way, not real future. Still, it has a nice atmosphere."

"Well, I'm glad someone can appreciate it," the Eleventh Doctor said, folding his arms and leaning back with a satisfied smile.

Rose had flung open the doors to the other TARDIS. "We made our new TARDIS like the old, old TARDIS," she explained as Jack walked with her, both Doctors following behind them. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go get something for your head," she called back to her husband.

"What happened to your head?" asked Jack.

"Him," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said, pointing to the Eleventh Doctor.

The Meta-Crisis Doctor sat on the jump seat as Rose returned with a first aid supplies and a bag of ice. She walked up behind him and held the ice there for a few moments before lifting it and running her fingers through his hair, parting it to look at his scalp. "Not too bad. You'll have a good bump, but the bleeding has mostly stopped. And it's not too deep" she told him, blotting the spot with a cloth covered in peroxide. He hissed in pain. "Sorry," she said, with a sympathetic grimace.

"Oh, don't be such a baby," the Eleventh Doctor muttered.

The Meta-Crisis Doctor glared at him. "It wouldn't have happened if you weren't such a clown."

"You wouldn't mind it if you weren't such a dandy," the Eleventh Doctor retorted.

"Both of you, stop it!" Rose said, looking between the Doctors.

"Oh, you three are _adorable_," Jack commented with his cheeky grin.

"You, too," she warned, pointing at Jack. "Honestly, my little brother is less trouble than the three of you."

"Oh, that's right, you have a little brother!" the Eleventh Doctor said happily. "Tony Tyler, right? What's he up to?"

"Nothing, he's only six," the Meta-Crisis Doctor answered, still brooding. "He just goes to school, plays football, and watches telly."

"He stowed away on the TARDIS last summer, that's something," Rose pointed out, returning the bag of ice to the Meta-Crisis Doctor's head. He raised his hand to take it from her and hold it there himself. She brought a hand to his shoulders and rubbed them gently, and he instantly relaxed, kicking his feet up onto the console and quickly forgetting his bad mood.

"Oh, I bet Jackie Tyler _loved_ that," the Eleventh Doctor teased.

"Are you barmy? We didn't tell her!" the Meta-Crisis Doctor bragged. "We were already in the Time Vortex by the time we noticed him hiding up in the gantries, so we swore him to secrecy and took him to Disneyland Mars in twenty-five-hundred. Had him back thirty-seconds after we left."

Rose walked around and hopped up into the seat next to her husband. "He likes dinosaurs now. Wonder if Mum would let us take him to see dinosaurs," the last syllable said with a large yawn.

"Sleepy already?" the Meta-Crisis Doctor asked her, lifting his arm over her head and settling it behind her. "It's not thatlate."

"I only got a few hours last night. _Someone_ wouldn't let me lie in this morning," she smiled tiredly. "The _same_ someone who kept me up late."

"Oh really?" asked Jack suggestively, leaning against the console and wiggling his eyebrows. "Doin' what?"

"Oh, stop it," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said to him. "You know very well what. And what are you doing here, anyway?"

Rose elbowed him. "Rude."

"Sorry, what I meant to say was, it's always lovely to see you Jack, but why were you running up to us like a madman?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Jack asked. "That commotion on Bute Street. When I saw a police box sitting by the Millenium Centre, I figured the Doctor must have something to do with it. So who's invading Cardiff this time?"

"We don't know, exactly," the Eleventh Doctor answered. "But I can guarantee that they're not from Raxacoricofallapatorius."

"Actually, now that you are here, maybe you can answer some questions," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said. "Rose and I were somehow pulled into this universe. Has Torchwood been mucking with toys it shouldn't have again?"

"What? No! You know that I changed Torchwood. And anyway…it's just me now," he said sadly, but recovered himself quickly. "And I wouldn't do something as stupid as messing around with trans-dimensional rifts, even if I knew where to start."

"Well, someone has," said Rose. "The Doctors think this world and our parallel world are connected, and without the void space in between."

"And you have no idea who is responsible?" asked Jack.

"We think it's the man who was shooting off the blaster on Bute Street. He's a Time Lord," the Eleventh Doctor said gravely.

Jack looked at him in disbelief. "What? But you two…I thought there were no other Time Lords left."

"Well, there weren't."

"So where's this guy now?" asked Jack.

"We don't know," the Meta-Crisis Doctor admitted. "He sort of attacked us, and then just disappeared. We have no idea why, or where he might have gone."

"Maybe he went back to another universe," Rose muttered. She leaned her head on her husband's shoulder, closing her eyes.

"You should go get some sleep," he said, nudging her gently. "There's nothing we can do for now, not until we can figure out who this guy is and what his intentions are. If he even comes back."

"So you just want to wait?" the Eleventh Doctor asked. "I don't like waiting."

"We don't know anything about him, or even where to start looking. Do you have any other ideas?" The Eleventh Doctor looked unhappy, but said nothing. "Go on, Rose. I'm going to stay up with these two, but you should rest while you can."

"Yeah, alright," she agreed with another yawn.

"I could go with you, if you think you'll be lonely," Jack offered.

"Jack…," the Meta-Crisis Doctor warned. Jack held up his hands.

"And don't ask where her tattoo is," the Eleventh Doctor cautioned him with a mischievous smirk.

"Oh, a tattoo?" Jack laughed. The Meta-Crisis Doctor shook his head and rubbed his eye.

Rose sighed and stood, taking the ice bag from him and gently kissing the bump on the top of his head. "That's as good as ice will do. Take some paracetamol if your head starts to hurt. I left a bottle on the kitchen table. And come wake me if anything happens, yeah?" he nodded and smiled. "You boys behave yourselves," she teased as she walked from the console room. "Goodnight."

"Night," they all called after her.

"So, another TARDIS," said Jack to the Meta-Crisis Doctor. "How _did _you grow it so fast? Mine's taking forever!"

"What?" Both Doctor's asked at the same time.

Jack bit his lip. "Never mind that. But really, I thought it took a long time to grow a TARDIS."

"It does," said the Meta-Crisis Doctor. "But when we were on our way back to the parallel universe, Donna, with her _brilliant_ human/Time-Lord mind, mentions out of nowhere how to grow one much, much faster."

"Then it occurred to me _why_ she said it," said the Eleventh Doctor. "And I gave him a piece of coral before we landed."

"Well then?" Jack asked. "How is it done?" They both just looked at him like he was daft. "Right, worth a shot. That's fine, I have plenty of time. Anyway, hanging out with two Doctors at the same time. What do I call you now?"

"Doctor," said the Meta-Crisis Doctor.

"Both of you?"

"We both are," said the Eleventh Doctor.

"Yes, I know. But won't that get confusing?"

"Haven't you ever worked a job with two John's or two Emma's or something?" the Eleventh Doctor asked.

Jack grinned. "This one time, I slept with a guy Chris and a girl Chris. At the same time. It _was _a bit confusing…but I didn't hate it."

Both Doctor's rolled their eyes and shook their heads.

"Blimey," said the Eleventh Doctor. "I think you may have gotten worse."

The Meta-Crisis Doctor smiled and nodded his agreement as he stood and moved over to the console. As he was hitting a few switches, something on the display caught his eye. "That can't be right," he said, putting on his glasses and furrowing his brow.

"What's wrong?" the Eleventh Doctor asked, walking over and peering at the screen from behind his shoulder.

"The energy reserve systems have been refilling."

"Can't be," said Jack. "Not here. Not anymore. The Rift is closed."

"What?" asked the Meta-Crisis Doctor, turning to look at him in surprise. "Really?"

"Yes, well maybe it was closed," said the Eleventh Doctor. He ran back into his ship, checking things on his own monitor, before running back. "But it's not anymore."

"No, but it was sealed, I _know_ it was sealed," said Jack looking baffled.

"But it's more than that. Even if the rift were open…_this_ TARDIS shouldn't be refueling, not here," said the Meta-Crisis Doctor.

"Why not?" asked Jack.

"It was grown with the energy of the parallel world," he explained. "Different universes have different energies, and a TARDIS can only run on the energy from one universe. I grew and built the energy reserve system out of TARDIS coral as well, so it should have the same energy bias."

"Which means…energy from your universe is somehow…leaking into this one," the Eleventh Doctor reasoned, looking quite concerned. "And that would mean the universes aren't just touching…they are _melded_ together." The two Doctors looked at each other slowly before both started rushing about, the Meta-Crisis Doctor around his console, and Eleventh Doctor into his own TARDIS.

"How bad is this?" asked Jack, looking between Doctors from the threshold between TARDISes.

"Potentially catastrophic," said the Meta-Crisis Doctor, grabbing a device from behind the console and running through the TARDISes to the outside.

"_Probably_ catastrophic," the Eleventh Doctor corrected, as he followed with his own gadgetry.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here you go! Have a nice heaping helping of plot! Also, I'm going to be messing around with the new character limits that FF.n has generously provided us with, but I know there are still some issues on where the stories end up appearing when browsing, so you may want to follow to ensure you see when I update. Also, I appreciate follows. And reviews! Thanks! **

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"Doctor, give me a hand, would you?" the Eleventh Doctor called to the Meta-Crisis Doctor, walking backwards out of his TARDIS and dragging a large metal container.

"Why not? You gave me one," the Meta-Crisis Doctor answered, holding up his right hand and coming over to grab the other end of the crate. Together, they lifted it and carried the crate out into the open, several yards away from the TARDIS. "Blimey, this thing is _ancient_. You might think about building a new one. Maybe make it a bit lighter," he complained as they set it down with a huff.

"Yes, well, it's not exactly something we've needed in the past few centuries," the Eleventh Doctor pointed out. He lifted the hinged top before reaching down and pulling out a telescoping metal arm, which unfolded into an odd looking aerial. "It's one thing to have to detect void stuff, quite another having to detect the energy from other universes." He pulled a large bundle of wires from inside and started leading them back towards his TARDIS, unraveling as he went. "Jack!" he called.

After a moment, Jack stuck his head through the doors of the TARDIS. "Yeah?"

"We need your strong, buff, man-body," he said.

"Yes, sir," Jack said with a grin, stepping out of the TARDIS with his thumbs tucked in his braces.

"I need to get up there," the Eleventh Doctor told them, pointing to the top of the TARDIS. "Will the two of you give me a boost?" They both agreed and the Eleventh Doctor walked up next to the TARDIS, wires slung over his shoulder, hands braced against the doors, and they each leaned down and grabbed a leg, heaving him upward. He felt a hand pushing up on his backside. "You don't need to squeeze!" he called down.

"It's alright, I don't mind," said Jack from below.

As quickly as he could, the Eleventh Doctor used his arms to heave himself upward until his upper body lay across the top of the TARDIS with just his legs dangling down. "I feel violated," he muttered.

"You have an extraordinary lack of leg hair," the Meta-Crisis Doctor observed, poking at the Eleventh Doctor's ankles, making him squirm.

"Stop that, it tickles." The Eleventh Doctor unscrewed the cover from the light on top of the TARDIS and hooked the wires he held into the base. "Anyway, if I recall, your regeneration had enough body hair for the both of us," he called down.

"I'm not _that_ hairy," he said, looking at the backs of his hands.

"Alright, I'm coming down!" They each grabbed a leg again as they helped guide him back to the ground.

The Doctors spent the next few hours running around outside, going back in occasionally for more equipment, trying to determine the extent of the threat as they took readings on the large device they had brought out. Neither of them had yet been able to even theorize about how such a rift was created, but they had agreed whatever had happened, for now things seemed to be stable.

They both stood by the aerial, adjusting settings. "Jammie Dodger?" The Eleventh Doctor offered, holding out a biscuit to the Meta-Crisis Doctor as he munched on one himself.

"Oh, don't mind if I do!" the Meta-Crisis Doctor said, taking it happily. "You know, they don't make these in our parallel world," he said through a mouthful of biscuit.

The Eleventh Doctor's face fell. "What? Oh, you are _kidding_. That is…that's _horrible_. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. We manage." The Meta-Crisis Doctor said as he shook his head. "Well, that's as good as we can do out here, I think. Let's go back and monitor things from the console."

The Eleventh Doctor nodded. "Yeah, alright," he agreed, and they began walking back. "I'll still need to wire it into the console, but it shouldn't' take me long."

"I must say," came a raspy voice from behind them. "This _is _a treat. I wasn't expecting the both of you!" They both turned abruptly to the voice. It was the same man who had been shooting at them earlier. They could see him much better now, as he was leaning against a lamppost about five yards from where they stood. He was very thin, with shaggy and unkempt brown hair and a stubbly chin. He wore shabby brown pants and a green hooded sweatshirt. His cheeks were sunken, as were his eyes, which were also bloodshot and puffy.

"Who are you?" the Eleventh Doctor asked.

"Me? I'm The Doctor," he said with a smirk in his voice.

"Excuse me?"

He smiled, but there was no joy behind it. "We've met before. Let's see, how'd that go? Oh, yes, I'm 'your penultimate reincarnation.'"

Realization dawned on both Doctor's faces.

"He can't be," the Eleventh Doctor muttered.

"The Valeyard," said the Meta-Crisis Doctor.

"The one and only," he grinned, holding out his arms. "Did you miss me?"

"You died. Long ago, I battled you in The Matrix system on Gallifrey," said the Eleventh Doctor. "And the Matrix was destroyed in the Time War, along with the rest of Gallifrey. And that's time locked. You couldn't have escaped."

"All you've seen in your life, Doctor, and you still speak as if _anything _is impossible. You remember our old friend, The Master?" he asked with a smile. He then held up a small, thin silicon microchip. "When he fled from the Time War, he brought me in this. Hidden inside his old fob watch."

"Why would he do that? The Master despised you," said the Meta-Crisis Doctor. "He helped bring you down during my trial. He was…_afraid_ of you."

The Master laughed gleefuly. "As he should have been. As the two of _you _should be. But as you know, he was slowly creeping closer and closer to absolute insanity. And by the time the Time War came around, he had _lost _it. Completely mad, that one. And _he _didn't want to end up alone any more than you. But what Time Lord mind could he save from the Matrix? He didn't have any friends anymore, did he? But you…you had been his _best _friend. And me? Well, I was you…but a you without the virtue that so vexed him."

"So why would he let you out?" asked the Eleventh Doctor. "Why not just save the chip?"

The Valeyard shrugged. "He said it was insurance. The Master—as the beloved Harold Saxon—brought this little chip to Torchwood. Charmed them, loaded it into their systems, and downloaded me right into the techie that was assisting him. He said he might need me some day, but didn't want the threat now, not until he had the power he wanted. And so he sent me packing right into your parallel world while he had the opportunity. Torchwood had already been playing with the void for months, but the Master had the knowledge and ability to send me through to where the Cybermen were coming from. And what could I do, with nothing but a practically useless human body?"

"But all that would have been undone, when The Master's paradox was reversed."

The Valeyard smiled. "The paradox was only affecting one universe. So stopping it only affected one universe. I was _long_ gone by then."

"A human brain can't handle a Time Lord consciousness," the Eleventh Doctor said. "When the Master had taken over that EMT in San Francisco, that body wore down quickly. How have you maintained it?"

"I've gotten the hang of keeping them going. Although, I have had to trade it in a few hundred times. Until I was ready for a luxury model," he said. "That would be you, by the way. Pretty awful, I must say, sitting in a body like this. But still, you drive what you can afford."

"You can't just take people, use them like that." said the Meta-Crisis Doctor. "It kills them!"

"Oh, I'm not completely heartless," he said with mock sweetness. "Well, okay, I am. But this poor sod had nothing, no one. Lived under a bridge. No home, no family, no friends. You know what that's like, Doctor. I did him a favor, don't you think?

"So you are here to steal my body. The only full Time Lord left," the Eleventh Doctor realized. "You and the Master are very muchalike."

"Well, _you _had to go and blow everything up," he accused. "I can't afford to be choosy. Well, I sort of can. I could have taken that Meta-Crisis body anytime over the last four years," he said, gesturing to the Meta-Crisis Doctor. "But really, it's going to depreciate in value so _quickly_, and I thought, why go to the trouble when what I really need is the real thing."

"Then why now? Why not go back to when I had more time left?"

"Last time I did that, the damn Time Lords interfered. No, it's easier now that you have _completely_ annihilated them. Thanks for that!"

The Meta-Crisis Doctor looked at him curiously. "Human body or Time Lord, you have a Time Lord mind. So how did we not notice you in either dimension?"

"Oh, I've been hanging around for _years_, preparing things in Pete's World. I was there, preparing my TARDIS."

"You have a _TARDIS_?"

The Valeyard smiled. "Fully loaded. A Type 100 TT capsule _with_ a Paradox Machine. I should pop in for a visit with Donna, thank her for telling you, and therefore me, how to grow a TARDIS so quickly."

"Stay away from her," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said coldly.

"Where did you get the TARDIS coral?" asked the Eleventh Doctor.

"You'd be surprised what you can find lying on the beach," he said. "No, actually, I got it from Torchwood. The other Torchwood, after I crossed. Oh, the things they had lying around! They had no _clue_ what it was. Only that it wasn't of Earth origin." The Valeyard was rocking on his heals now, apparently bored. "It was just a _tiny_ piece of coral, so it was a little difficult to stabilize its growth before I could shatterfry. But no worries. I had enough of it going to have a telepathic filter in place by the time you dropped your human-half here off in Pete's World. Stayed undetected. Took a few more years before I had the Paradox Machine ready. Tricky work, building everything from scratch when you are trying to go unnoticed."

"But you are in a different universe than that TARDIS grew in," said the Eleventh Doctor. "And with a Paradox Machine, it has to be drawing massive amounts of…oh! OH!" The Eleventh Doctor smacked himself in the forehead. "THAT'S why the universes are together." The Valeyard simply stood there smiling.

"And why did you pull me into this universe?" the Meta-Crisis Doctor asked.

"Did I?" The Valeyard seemed genuinely surprised by this. "Oops," he shrugged. "I bound the universes together," he acknowledged. "Mingled their energies, so I can still recharge here. Your two TARDISes must have been drawn together when I did."

"So you intentionally bound two universes together, energetically? That was incredibly dangerous," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said harshly. "Incredibly _foolish_. You could have collapsed both universes into the void. I don't know how you _didn't _collapse them both."

"It was worth the risk," he said simply. "And I'm not going to give away my secrets."

"What you are doing, it's wrong. Not to mention it's against the Laws of Time," the Eleventh Doctor declared.

He laughed loudly. "Laws? What laws? As you _well _know, we are the only ones left to enforce the laws, thanks to you, Doctor. I'll do as I please."

"And why have you so willingly told us all of this?" asked the Meta-Crisis Doctor.

"Fun? Thrill of the chase? Anyway, I can't exactly sneak up and do this. Tried that, but the telepathic field around my TARDIS only extends so far, and you sensed me coming. Big mess."

"So what now?" asked the Eleventh Doctor. "You just _ask nicely_ for me to allow you to take over my body?"

"Nope," he said, pointing the blaster to the Meta-Crisis Doctor. "Now, I thank you for bringing me a bargaining chip, Doctor. Let's see…you come back to my TARDIS and _let _me transfer my consciousness, or your _lesser_ half learns how it feels to die and _not_ regenerate. How about a nice sonic pulse to stop his revolting single human heart, hmm?" The Doctors looked at each other.

"Don't do anything," came Jack's voice from the doorway. "He can't blast you. I modified the old extrapolator! Did a little upgrade to it while you gentlemen were out, plugged it into both TARDISes and extended the field."

To test this, the Valeyard pointed his blaster at Jack at pulled the trigger. The light from the blast stopped several feet in front of where the Doctors stood.

"Good man, Jack!" said the Meta-Crisis Doctor.

"Captain Jack Harkness! How's life?" asked The Valeyard. "Hope it's good. You have a _long_ time to go. Eons!" Both Doctors were walking backwards towards the TARDIS. "Go on and run, Doctor. Runaway. But you can't hide forever. Just remember, I'll be around, waiting for you, no matter how many humans I have to go through to get the job done. Oh, and Doctors?" he called. Both Doctor's hesitated by the door. "That was Rose Tyler I saw you with earlier, wasn't it?" There was a threat in his tone.

Both Doctors stiffened and moved forward, dark looks falling over their faces, but Jack stepped out and grabbed them each by an arm. "He's winding you up," he told them. "He can't get to her."

"You stay the hell away from her," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said coldly. "If you so much as _think_ about her, nothing in this or any universe will be able to stop me from destroying you."

The Valeyard simply gave a wicked half smile before turning and disappearing into the shadows.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm posting this a day early. I've got a lot of work to do on my thesis this upcoming week, so it might be awhile until I get another chapter posted, but please hang in there, because I WILL get it done. And honestly, I procrastinate at a championship level, so there is every possibility that working on my thesis will actually produce more fan fic writing. As always, reviews are appreciated! **

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"He has a TARDIS _and_ a Paradox Machine," the Eleventh Doctor said in disbelief as he closed the TARDIS doors behind him. "And he found the TARDIS coral at Torchwood. How the hell did they get their hands on that?"

"You'd be surprised what they come across," said the Meta-Crisis Doctor. "I spent _months_ going through their archives when I got to the parallel world. I'm guessing this world's Torchwood is where you got your TARDIS coral, Jack? I know you wouldn't have stolen it from this ship." Jack was trying hard not to look guilty.

"Hold on. Were you working for Torchwood?" the Eleventh Doctor asked the Meta-Crisis Doctor in surprise.

The Meta-Crisis Doctor walked over to the stairs and sat down. "Yes, well I had to do something for a year while we grew the TARDIS."

"Oh, that's golden," said Jack with a bitter laugh. "After the crap you gave me for it?"

The Meta-Crisis Doctor leaned back, resting his elbows on the step behind him and not looking the least bit bothered by Jacks charge. "They are a _completely_ different Torchwood," he brushed off easily. "That Torchwood wasn't created to destroy me. And by the time I arrived, Rose had already done some amazing things there," he said proudly. "Also, it didn't hurt that they had a lot of the resources we needed for the new TARDIS." He sat back up and rested his arms on his knees. "So what now?" he asked, nodding his head back towards the door. "We can't just sit here and let the Valeyard run amok. He's going to keep stealing bodies while he tries to get yours."

"Well then let's think. Come up with a plan," the Eleventh Doctor said.

"Plan? We never _plan_ things. Improvise, that's our style," the Meta-Crisis Doctor said.

"Yes, well, I don't like it either," the Eleventh Doctor admitted gruffly. "But we're sort of stuck in the TARDIS now, aren't we? We don't know where his TARDIS is yet. And we're working against someone as clever as we are. He knows how we think. Makes the situation a bit more complicated."

"You have a point. Plan it is, then," he conceded. "Well, before we do anything, we should get that energy detector running on the display. We might locate his TARDIS at least."

"Could you explain to me what happened out there? Who exactly is this guy?" Jack asked.

The Meta-Crisis Doctor sighed and looked towards his own TARDIS. "Would you?" he asked the Eleventh Doctor. "I'm going to go check on Rose. I said I'd let her know if anything happened. Do you mind?"

The Eleventh Doctor looked up distractedly. "No, no, not at all. We'll be here."

The Meta-Crisis Doctor stood and walked away, stopping just before entering his TARDIS. "You remember how…manipulative The Valeyard is? And how eager to kill?"

The Eleventh Doctor nodded and replied solemnly, "Yes. And after years stuck in humans, he seems worse for it now."

The Meta-Crisis Doctor nodded in agreement. "Could you call Wilf or Sylvia? Tell them to get themselves and Donna out of Britain for a while, and not to leave a trail." The Eleventh Doctor nodded. "And Jack, if you know how to reach Mickey and Martha, let them know, too?"

"Yeah, I have a number for them." Jack said.

"They'll all be alright, Doctor," the Eleventh Doctor told him. "The Valeyard isn't going to venture far from the rift. Not with us right here. He can't chance it. But we'll warn them, just the same."

The Meta-Crisis Doctor nodded his thanks and walked into his own TARDIS, gently shutting the doors behind him. He walked through the corridors and into the bedroom he shared with Rose. She was asleep on her side, half under the blankets, arm stretched out towards his side of the bed, where he would be lying if he were there with her. Quietly, he walked over, removing his suit jacket, tie, and trainers before lowering himself down, slipping under the blankets and facing her, gently lifting her arm and placing it over his waist as he scooted closer. Head propped up on his hand, he just watched her sleep for a few moments before leaning forward and placing a lingering kiss on her forehead. When he pulled back, her eyes fluttered open.

"Hello," he said.

"Hello," she smiled sleepily. "How's your head?"

He smiled back, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'll live."

Rose could sense something was bothering him. "Is everything alright?"

He didn't answer. "You should go back to sleep," he told her instead, gently running his fingers through her hair. "It's only been about five hours. You could use a couple more."

"Did you figure anything out?" she asked, now clearly wide awake.

He nodded. "Yeah. We know who we are dealing with now. We spoke with him. He is a Time Lord. We've…met before, long ago. He's called The Valeyard. He is stuck in a human body, and he wants a Time Lord body now. A fully Time Lord body. And then…well."

"But how can he…_be_?"

"Long story. Long, long story. He's from this universe, but he was hiding in Pete's World with us, all this time. Had been there since just before Canary Wharf. The reason the universes connected, the reason we got pulled over, is because of him. He grew a TARDIS, too, and then he somehow ripped the universes open and melded them so he could cross over, and keep it fueled here."

"But you couldn't sense him. Neither of you could."

"No. Not until he wanted to communicate with us. He had a telepathic filter in place in his TARDIS." He looked worried all of the sudden and he clearly had more to say.

"What is it?" Rose urged him.

"There's more to it. This man…he's," he took a deep breath. "It's complicated. He diverges from my…well, no…from the other Doctor's future."

"Like a meta-crisis?" she asked.

"No, Rose," he replied firmly. "Not like a meta-crisis. He's not at all like me. He's…not a _copy_ of the Doctor. He's an incarnation of just the…bad stuff."

She furrowed her brow. "How do you mean? Like an evil twin?"

"I suppose that's a way of looking at it. To be honest, _we're _not exactly sure how it happens, because it technically hasn't yet." He was silent for a moment, and moved his hand to her cheek. "Rose…I'm afraid," he admitted in a quiet voice. "In Pete's World…all traces of the Time War are gone. There are no more Time Lords, no Daleks, and even the Cybermen are all gone now. We've had adventures there; run into trouble, like always. But nothing like this. The Valeyard…Rose, in some ways he _is_ the Doctor. Impossible to stop, because he knows what the Doctor would do." He sighed heavily. "I've told you about The Master." Rose nodded, lifting her hand to rest on his, and turning her head to place a brief kiss on his palm. "The Master was so afraid of the Valeyard that he helped me to bring him down before. And this time…The Master is the one who helped to bring him back. And they are so much alike. The things The Valeyard is capable of, everything he does…we haven't dealt with something so…wrong…in so long." He took a shuddering breath. "Rose…I'm just—" his breath caught, and he had to close his eyes and breath before continuing. "I'm so afraid of losing you again," he finally admitted, a few tears spilling over as he pulled her into him and buried his face in her shoulder.

Rose wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly, placing a kiss in his hair. "Hey, we'll be alright. You aren't going to lose me, and I'm not going to lose you" she said matter-of-factly. His only response was to hold her tighter. "Doctor, listen to me," she said, wriggling to loosen his hold on her and pushing back on his shoulder so that he was lying on his back, and she was half on top of him. She reached a hand up to his cheeks to wipe away a few tears. "We're going to make it through this, yeah? How could we not? You've faced him before, and won, right? Doesn't sound impossible to me. And now we've got _two_ Doctors, and me and Jack! That's four against one. We've come through with much worse odds."

He stared at her for a few moments. "But we can walk away from this, Rose," he said suddenly. "Leave him to deal with it. It's him The Valeyard is after, a Time Lord with a full set of organs, with regenerations, with _time_. Not me. And it's not our universe anymore. We can just go. Just _run_."

She looked shocked, and then a bit angry, until she noticed the raw fear and guilt in his eyes. He didn't want to leave, but he was afraid not to. She shook her head slowly. "What, go to Marbella in 1989?" He looked in agreement to that. "No, we can't. That's not how we do things." He opened his mouth to protest, and she suddenly sat up and threw one leg over his waist, straddling him. "That's not the way we run," she said firmly, poking him in the chest. She took one of his hands in each of hers and pulled them up to her lips to kiss before settling them down above his heart, holding them there. "It's what youtaught me. How _you _made _me _better. You showed me how to be brave, how to do what's right when everyone else runs away." He looked resigned. "And it's not what you _want_ to do. You want to protect me…but I know you. And you never want to run away.

"No. I don't," he admitted. "But I _want _to want it. I want to be able to just go flick a few switches and leave this all behind us. I would, if you asked me to." He sighed. "But you never would."

She shook her head. "Nope. That's not us. Not the Stuff of Legends." He smiled, and she leaned down and kissed him tenderly. "And I will thank you in advance for not trying to send me away this time."

He looked at her intensely, snaking his hands into her hair. "I promised you years ago that I never would again. I never _could_ again. I can't live without you, Rose."

With her face still inches from his, she reached up and caressed his slightly stubbly cheek. "You'll never have to. I love you, Doctor. And we'll get through this, together." The last word was caught by his lips as he kissed her deeply. After a minute, she pulled back breathless and with a small smile. "Do you have some time?" she asked coyly.

"For you?" he asked, hands moving down her back and coming to rest on her hips. "For you, I have the rest of my life."

She smiled. "Good." And she began opening the buttons on his shirt. "Because the universes might need defending, but right now, _I_ need _you_, my Doctor."

* * *

"So, Doctor," said Jack, sitting on the stairs that led underneath the Eleventh Doctor's console, watching him tinker. "Are you alright with all of this?"

The Eleventh Doctor looked up at Jack through his fringe. "The Valeyard trying to steal my body? Who would be alright with that?"

"No, I mean _this_," Jack said, motioning up to the other TARDIS. "Rose and your part human duplicate, here and married and ridiculously happy and parading it all in front of you."

The Eleventh Doctor looked away and shrugged. "Why shouldn't I be alright with it?"

"Because you're in love with Rose," Jack stated simply.

The Eleventh Doctor froze, looking back at him in shock, but quickly pushed all emotions from his face and continued working. "I never said that."

"No, I guess you didn't. But it would seem that the man who was your exact duplicate did, didn't he?" The Eleventh Doctor said nothing. "So, do you deny that you ever loved her?"

The Eleventh Doctor sighed and dropped the wires he held, rubbing his hand over the back of his head and looking irritated. "No. Of course not. I mean, obviously," he said, motioning to the other TARDIS. "But...it's been a long time. And I'm a different man now."

"And so what, you just stopped loving her because you regenerated?" Jack asked in disbelief. "I've known you for a long time now, Doctor. I knew you in the regeneration you met her in, and I could tell you loved her then. I knew you in the regeneration you lost her in, and I could tell you loved her _deeply_. You _ached_ for her. And then, when she came back…for that little bit of time, you were a complete man again. And maybe I just met you in this regeneration, but after seeing all of that…I can't imagine you don't have feelings for her anymore."

The Eleventh Doctor's eyes were rimmed with tears, and he dropped both of his hands but kept looking at the wires in front of him. "Are you _trying_ to make this difficult for me?"

"No," said Jack sympathetically. "I just don't think you should be burying all of this."

"I think we have bigger problems right now, Captain," he answered firmly, lifting his hands back to his work.

"Do we?" asked Jack, standing up and coming the rest of the way down the steps. "Because from what you've told me, this Valeyard is the product of _your_ negative emotions. Is it really a good idea to feed this pain into something already so twisted?"

The Eleventh Doctor turned abruptly to look at Jack. "What do you want me to do, then, Jack?" he asked, nearly shouting. He took a deep breath, and when he spoke next, his voice was calmer. "I'm not saying I don't have _any _feelings for her anymore. But it's been longer for me than you realize, and I've had time to come to terms with…losing her." He wiped his eyes to keep the tears from falling. "I began accepting that I was losing her forever when I left them in the parallel world. And I've had other people in my life since then. And…and maybe…maybe a part of me does still wish I could have had what he has with her…but I know that I never could, because I have a different sort of life. I'd watch her grow old and die and I'd still be carrying on. And that would have been much more difficult than this. For me and for her. Maybe you can't understand that—" The Eleventh Doctor stopped when he realized what he'd just said. "I'm sorry." He sighed. "I suppose out of all the people in this universe, you might be the only one who can understand."

Jack walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Yeah, I can." He dropped his hand. "That's why I thought you might need to talk to me about it."

The Eleventh Doctor nodded. "Yeah." He was silent for a moment. "Hold these together, would you?" he asked, handing Jack a pair of wires. Jack took them and the Eleventh Doctor began fusing them with his sonic screwdriver. "It's odd, though," he said through the buzzing. "Because I still…care for her. But in just this past day, having them around…_both_ of them…it's been nice. Really nice. I mean, I see that he's giving her the life I never could, and I'm…so grateful for that, I think. You see how _happy_ she is with him?" he said in wonder. Jack nodded and smiled. "It's _brilliant_. Absolutely fantastic. Rose Tyler deserves to be that happy. That's what I wanted for her. And even having him here. It's nice having another Time Lord mind around again…you know, other than the one that's out there trying to assimilate me."

"So, even though it's a reminder of what you can't have…of what you lost…you enjoy having them here?" Jack asked.

The Eleventh Doctor thought for a moment. Then he smiled widely. "Yeah. I think I do."


End file.
